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SPRING BED. I

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SPRING BED.

N0. 391,137. Patented Oct. 16, 1888.

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No. 289L187. Patented Oct. 16, 1888.

N. PETERS. Photo-lithography. Wuhingion. u. a

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OSCAR S. FOSTER AND WILLIAM S. FOSTER, OF UTIOA, NEW YORK.

SPRING-BED.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 391,137, dated October 16, 1888.

Application filed November 9, 1887. Serial No. 254,603. (No model.)

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that W6,0SOAR S. FOSTER and WILLIAM S. FOSTER, of Utica, in the county of Oneida and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spring-Beds; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to spring-beds, and particularly to a type in which a number of wire springs wound in conical or double-cone form are arranged at spaced intervals in rows to form an elastic bed-bottom.

The object of our invention is to construct a bed-bottom that will be light and yielding, and one that can be manufactured at a comparatively small cost; and it consists in the parts and combinations of parts, as will be more fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l is a plan view of a spring-bed, showing our novel method ofconstruction and arrangement. Fig. 2 is a side edge elevation of a bed, showing the manner of securing the springs upon the main frame,and also the adjustable attachment ofa border-rod. Figs. 3 and 4 show a novel form of adjustable lock by which double-cone elastic wire bed-springs may be securely but detachably connected at spaced intervals to a metal strip. Fig. 5 shows a double-cone bedspring having its center locked adjustably to the main frame. Fig. 5 shows two doublecone wire springs locked in place on the main frame and their edges at each end interlocked together. Fig. 7 shows a novel form of connecting-clip for securing the ends of a borderrod together. Fig. 8 is a view of a modification of the clip or coupler.

A represents a double-cone elastic wire spring, which is wound from one continuous piece of wire, the smaller portions of the cones being near the center of length of the spring, as is usual in such a form of spring. This smaller portion is cylindrical in shape and composed of several equal-sized coils of the material forming the spring, the coils being preferably much closer together than the outer turns of the springs to furnish an extended and rigid hearing about the disks.

At spaced intervals (see Fig. 1) the metal strips 13 of the main frame are provided with raised disks 0, that are secured to the strips on one or both sides by center rivets, a. These disks or solid washers may be made of any suitable material. \Ve give preference to leather, although paste-board or tough wood or metal may be employed.

The diameter of the disks 0 should be such in relation to that of the center coils of the wire spring A that the edge of the disk will closely engage the interior surface of the coils if inserted therein, and to make such a connection of parts it is simply necessary to push the strip B, with its attached disk 0, edgewise between the coils of the spring somewhat below the smaller center coils, so as to enter it easily. Then by a rotation of the spring the spiral form of the same will propel it endwise as a nut upon a screw, and locate the washer or disk 0 in the interior of the coils of smaller diameter near the center of length of the double-cone spring A, with the strip B extending between these coils, the disk thus locking the spring from displacement.

By the form of construction and arrangement of the double-cone springs A and locking-disks O, that are attached to the main frame, it is evident that any spring in a bed may be detached from its seat on the frame and another inserted without displacement of an adjacent spring.

In Fig. 6 is shown the manner in which a secure but detachable connection of the ten minal ends of the double-cone springs is effected. The ends of the springs A are each bent to form hooks b, which lie with their points and the short return ends of the hooks below the end faces of the spring, so as to be in position to engage the eyes 0, which are formed by bending the body of the wire at a proper point to permit such an engagement, the eyes 0 being made to project outside of the second spiral turn ofthe spring at such a point that the insertion of the hooks b will secure the ends and form continuous wire circles at each end of the spring, which are of uniformly level surface; and as these springs are made upon a form to render them exactly alike in diameter of coils and height it follows that when connected the top and bottom surfaces of abed made of the springs will be uniformly level and parallel with each other.

In Fig. 6 are shown two bed-springs, with their adjacent edges at each end interlocked ,of springs, and when these strips and springs are secured together a solidly connected, light, and yielding bed-bottom is formed, which can be put upon the market ata comparatively small cost. i I

Each row of springs in the'bed just mentioned is made up of several springs locked at their centers to the main frame and locked together by the hook-and-eye attachments previously described.

In order to further secure together onerow of springs with its adjacent row, the small chains care attachedto the top rings of opposite springs in a manner to connect the crossrows of springs together, the chains being affixed to the springs at points about equally distant or midway between the interlocking connections of the longitudinal rows of springs, so that all the springs of a bed inside of the border row are attached together at four equidistant points on their top and bottom ends.

In Figs. 1 and 2 a spring-bed is shown having top and bottom border-rods, E, which are intended to stably connect the top and bottom edges of the outer rows of springs, so that they will be prevented from lateral displacement by applied weight, and be caused to move simultaneously when a bed is occupied or the edge is sat upon.

To adapt the springs A to receive and retain the border-rods E, the outer edge, of the top and bottom rings of these springs are bent outwardly and then upwardly to form hooks g,into which the borderrods E are placed. The free ends of the hooks g are then bent inwardly over the rods to lock them fast to the outer edges of the springs, the extreme terminals of the hooks 9 being bent down, so as to be below the general surface of the springs to prevent catching upon a mattress or bed clothing.

In Fig. 7 a novel form of clip or couplingpiece for the secure connecting together of the ends of a border-rod for the spring-bed is shown. This consists of a sleeve of metal, the longitudinal perforation of which is such as to receive and neatly fit upon the inserted ends of a border-rod, which metal rod is pref erably bent from a continuous piece, rectangular with rounded corners, and the ends brought together. The body G of the clip is notched on one side near its center of length, this notch h cutting through to intersect the longitudinal perforation from the shoulders i of the notch h to each end k of the clip-body, the material being widened to give this body an oval form in cross-section, and the longi-' tudinal hole is widened into oval form at each end to allow the keys H to be inserted into the side orifices thus produced when the coupling-clip is in position, so as to rigidly affix the clip in place, and thussecnre the two ends of the border-rod close together. If desired,

the clip or coupling may be bent to form a right angle, as shown in Fig.8, and the perforation through the center of the clip will then produce sockets for the reception of the ends of the border-rod and securing-keys. With this construction it will be seen that the border-rods may be clipped together at the corners of the frame,and th us producea neater appearance than when these rods are clipped together at points between the corners.

It is evident from the arrangement of parts and formation of the sleeves and wedges that the ends of the border-wire E may be con- 1 nected or disconnected at will by simply driving the wedges I-I into the sockets, or, on the other hand, by forcing them out of the sockets; and, furthermore, this connecting device is applicable to different-sized wires without any further mode of coupling by the use of rivets or other inconvenient means being resorted to.

The hook-and-eye connection of the terminals of the springs to produce continuous level rings at each end of said springs affords a means for the rapid interlocking together of the adjacent edges of the spring ends in 1ongitudinal rows, and the combination therewith of one or two border rods and trans versely-attached connecting-chains produces a light, strong, and very elastic spring-bed, which is perfectly level on each side, and is thus adapted for use with either side up, and as the springs are stayed in all directions there will be no tendency to break down from an unequal distribution of weight upon it.

Having fully described our invention, what we claim as new,and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a spring-bed, the combination, with a main frame composed solely of transverse and longitudinal flexible metallic strips, of diskssecured to said main frame and doublecone springs, the centers of which are cylindrical in shape to enable them to closely embrace the disks.

2. A springbed consisting, essentially, of the middle or main frame composed solely of transverse and longitudinal flexible metallic strips, and the double-cone springs secured to said middle or main frame, substantially as set forth.

3. In a spring-bed, the combination, with the middle or main frame composed solely of ICC transverse and longitudinal flexible metallic strips, of the double-cone springs secured to said middle or main frame and border-wires extending around the outer rows of springs and connected to said springs,substantially as set forth.

4. A spring-bed composed solely of a number of longitudinal strips of metal arranged parallel to each other and secured together by several transverse strips, the longitudinal strips having each a series of disks attached to their fiat surfaces, which disks are adapted to lock double cone spiral springs in position upon the longitudinal strips, the ends of the spiral springs being interlocked and secured by hook-and-eye connections, and the rows of springsbei ngtransversely connected by chains, border-rods attached to the outer rows of springs, and joining-clip connecting the free ends of the rods, substantially as set forth.

5. In a spring-bed, aclip for connecting the ends ofa borderrod having an axially-perforated body adapted to receive both ends of a border-rod and admit keys having bearingcontact with the side surface of the border-rod ends to retain them in connection with the clip-body, substantially as set forth.

6. In a spring-bed, a clip for connecting the ends of the border-rods, said clip being made in the form of a right angle and provided with sockets for the reception of the ends of the border rods, and keys also inserted in these sockets parallel with the rods for retaining the border-rods in place, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof we have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

OSCAR S. FOSTER. \VILLIAM S. FOSTER.

\Vitncsses:

J. LEWIS J ONES, H. D. PITOHER. 

